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21 February, 2020



Estonia dismisses Beijing’s call to amend 
intelligence report unfavourable to China
(see Tuesday list)

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Friday 
21. February
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Eesti ei tee Venemaaga kuritegude uurimises koostööd - Politseijuht
(ERR)
"Meil ei ole usaldust," ĂŒtleb politsei- ja piirivalveameti peadirektor Elmar Vaher.”



Preparing for Crises in Estonia
(ICDS)
“The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Estonian Ministry of Rural Affairs commissioned the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) to compile a list of civilian food and emergency goods supplies, estimated average amounts of supplies at home and in stores, and calculations for the price of national emergency goods supplies and logistics.”





Rootsi hakkab Kaliningradi jÀlgima uue luurelaevaga
(Postimees)
“74 meetri pikkune ja 2200-tonnise veevĂ€ljasurvega HMS Artemis asendab 35 aastat kasutuses olnud luurelaeva HMS Orion. HMS Artemis ehitati Poolas, aga luureseadmed paigaldatakse alusele Rootsis. Laeva maksumuseks kujuneb 69 miljonit eurot 
”



Struggle over Rail Baltica spills into Brussels budget fray
(Politico-Europe)
“‘No more money’ from the EU unless Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania get moving on the key infrastructure project.”



European Union leaders fail to agree on new 7-year budget
(Deutsche Welle)
“The 27 leaders of all member states had spent two days in a standoff over the 2021-27 allowance, with a significant gap between countries that are net recipients of funds and the wealthier member states who are keen to rein in spending. 
 The new budget has a Brexit-sized hole to fill and some member states were unwilling to pay more for the bloc's next spending proposals, worth around €1 trillion ($1.1 trillion).”












Estonia plans to increase trade with Belarus to €300m in 2020
(Belta - Belarus)
“
 the two countries need to develop cooperation in engineering and light industry.”





Finland: Satisfaction with gov't leaps after Sanna Marin takeover
(Yle)
“Some 64 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the Social Democrat-led administration. That’s a big jump from numbers under Marin’s predecessor, Antti Rinne. In November satisfaction ratings for his government in the same poll stood at 37 percent.”




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Kliimamuutus
Climate Change
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Kliimapööret ei tehta meie eest Àra
Kertu Birgit Anton - Postimees
“Kuigi Eesti on vĂ€ike, on meie sĂŒsinikujalajĂ€lg elaniku kohta suurem kui isegi Hiinal vĂ”i Indial, mistĂ”ttu on ka meil kohustus kliimasoojenemise kahjusid Ă€ra hoida, kirjutab Tallinna reaalkooli Ă”pilane, presidendi kĂ”nevĂ”istluse «Kirjuta Eestile» vĂ”itja Kertu Birgit Anton.”



Mets ja kliimamuutused raport
(Cambridge Ülikool)
“Bioenergia kasutamisest, metsa ja muude ökosĂŒsteemide sĂŒsiniku sidumise suurendamisest ning maa ja metsaga seotud emissioonide vĂ€hendamisest ĂŒksi ei piisa kliimamuutuste leevendamiseks ei Eestis, ega ka kogu maailmas. Kui kĂ”ikides muudes sektorites emissioone kiiresti ei vĂ€hendata, siis maale ja metsale kliimamuutuste poolt tekitatavad kahjustused suurenevad ja see omakorda vĂ€hendab muuhulgas sĂŒsiniku sidumist ja vĂ”imendab kliimamuutusi.”









JP Morgan economists warn climate crisis is threat to human race
(The Guardian | BBC)
“The world’s largest financier of fossil fuels has warned clients that the climate crisis threatens the survival of humanity and that the planet is on an unsustainable trajectory, according to a leaked document. The JP Morgan report on the economic risks of human-caused global heating said climate policy had to change or else the world faced irreversible consequences.”
—





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Thursday 
20. February
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Miljonilinn Tallinn
“Kuidas Tallinnast vĂ”iks aastaks 2070 saada miljonilinn ja kus siis need miljon tallinlast elaks, mis keeles rÀÀgiks ja kuidas igapĂ€evast leiba teeniks, arutleb Marek Strandberg.”



Interview: Toomas Hendrik Ilves
(Postimees - Munich)
“Triumphalism in 1991, according to which the West had won, is largely the cause of its troubles 30 years on 
”






Threat of Russian Military Attack on Estonia Low Because of Likely NATO Response
By Paul Goble
“If Moscow concluded that the escalation of its conflict with the West elsewhere threatened its vital interests, or if it drew incorrect conclusions about the situation such as underrating NATO’s readiness to respond, then, the Russian government could decide to carry out what it would view as a “preventive” strike against Estonia and her Baltic neighbors.”



Estonia starts building 100-million-euro data center near Tallinn
(AP | DCD | Estonian World)
“Once fully completed, it would house up to 3,300 rack cabinets with storage capacity for up to 135,000 servers. The company hopes to get clients — big and small -- not only from neighboring Latvia and Lithuania but also from elsewhere in Europe. 
 the center is located next to a substation by local grid operator Elering to ensure energy security, and is also set to be connected with the submarine Estlink cable connecting the power grids of Finland and Estonia.”
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Cyber security drill held by Estonia in NATO Parliamentary Assembly
(BNN | ERR)
“
 where member state legislators have been asked to look for solutions in a simulated cyber incident.”
—



Georgia blames Russia for cyberattack
(AP | VOA)
“Georgian authorities on Thursday accused Russia’s military intelligence of launching a large-scale cyberattack that targeted the government and private organizations with the goal of destabilizing the ex-Soviet nation.”




In the face of Brexit, Lithuanians rapidly returning home
(Lithuanian Tribune)
“If the trend continues, 2020 could be the first year in the history of independent Lithuania, where the number of returnees from the United Kingdom will exceed the number of those departing,” Lithuanian Department of Statistics director-general JĆ«ratė Petrauskienė states.”



Macron’s One-Way Street to Russia
(Carnegie Europe)
“French President Emmanuel Macron is leading the charge in Europe to set out a new strategy with Russia. His goal is to end Russia’s sense of isolation and alienation, as he explained during the 2020 Munich Security Conference, which took place on February 14–16. Macron believes Russia is essential for Europe’s security. Without engaging its big neighbor, Europe will not be safe. This is why Europe must create some kind of security architecture that includes Russia.”



Plans for Waterway From Baltic to Black Sea via Ukraine, Belarus and Poland Advance
by Paul Goble, Jamestown Org.
“The EU christened the revived Ukraine–Belarus–Poland water route the “E-40 Project” and designated it part of its Eastern Partnership program. Once completed, it would extend 2,000 kilometers via the Dnepr and Pripat rivers, the Dnepr–But canal, further along the western Bug to the Vistula, and northward to Polish ports on the Baltic. Once completed, this corridor could carry five to seven million tons of goods westward each year, not only bypassing Russia but cementing Belarus and Ukraine more firmly into the West. Indeed, both when it was originally pushed in the early 2000s and now, it appears this riverine transit route’s geopolitical impact has been viewed by all parties as of even greater importance than its geo-economic one.”



1989 Baltic Chain Again a Model for Russian Protesters, Folklorist Says
(Window on Eurasia)
“On August 23, 1989, millions of residents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands in the Baltic chain between Tallinn and Vilnius to show their determination to recover their de facto independence. 
 But now the Baltic chain has again become a model for protesters in the Russian Federation, journalist Yekaterina Runova of MBK News says, describing recent cases in Oryol, Yekaterinburg, Surgut, Nizhny Tagil, and Kazan where Russians have formed human chains to advance their cause 
”



How Russia’s President Is Preparing His Own Succession
(Spiegel)
“As he approaches the twilight of his presidency, Vladimir Putin is seeking changes to the constitution to pave the way for someone else to take over. Or is he?”






Putin’s ‘grey cardinal’, Vladislav Surkov, is shown the door
(The Times, UK)
“Mr Surkov, a mercurial ideologue and spin doctor, rose to prominence in the 2000s as deputy head of the Russian presidential administration. He invented the notion of “sovereign democracy”, insisting that Russia was not obliged to submit to western liberalism. He was also a supreme manipulator of domestic politics who deployed the fervently pro-Kremlin Nashi youth group against Mr Putin’s critics.”









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Wednesday 
19. February
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Imbi Paju: mÔtisklus Eesti riigist ja rahvastest
“Iseseisvusmanifesti mĂ”jul hakkasid meie vĂ€hemusrahvad Eestit ja eestlasi armastama ning eesti keeles rÀÀkima, kirjutab kirjanik ja filmitegija Imbi Paju.”



Estonian, Icelandic formins discuss Arctic, Nordic-Baltic cooperation
(Baltic Times)
“Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu on Wednesday met with Foreign Minister of Iceland Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson 
”



Russia’s military corridor in Lithuania that never was
(LRT)
“Russia’s Kaliningrad wedged between Poland and Lithuania is a headache for NATO commanders today. Some 20 years ago, the exclave also nearly ground Lithuania’s EU aspirations to a halt.”
—
“Our partners in the West didn’t know about this problem, we had to pull out maps to show where Kaliningrad was 
”








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Tuesday 
18. February
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Estonia dismisses Beijing’s call to amend intelligence report unfavourable to China
(BNN)
“Estonian diplomats have rejected a call by the Chinese Embassy in Tallinn to amend an annual security report by the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service pointing to growing influence of China in Estonia.”









Arvamus: Mart Helme vaimustus ovatsioonidest on imelik
(Postimees)




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Monday 
17. February
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Eelhoiatus! Eestisse saabub Venemaalt propagandistlik filmiprogramm
(Propastop)
“Propastop sattus jaanuari lĂ”pus Venemaa kinostuudio Mosfilm kodulehel uudisele, mis teatab II maailmasĂ”jaga seotud filmiprojekti sĂŒnnist. Projekti sisuks on vanade NĂ”ukogude sĂ”jafilmide taastamine ja koos uuemate Venemaa filmidega ĂŒheks programmiks koondamine. Programm on pĂŒhendatud “Suure vĂ”idu 75. aastapĂ€evale” 
”





Estonian Defense League marks 30th annviersary since restoration
(ERR)
“Currently, there are 26 000 members in the Defense League, including the Estonian Women's Voluntary Defense Organization (Naiskodukaitse), Estonian Defense League Girls' Organization (KodutĂŒtred) and the Estonian Defense League Boys' Organization (Noored kotkad).”







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Munich Security 
Conference
__________



Kaljulaid in Munich: China is overshadowing Russia
(Baltic Times)
"Every year, more and more business is being done with China. In fact, it is clear that the world has formed an opinion and we in Europe increasingly understand that there is a new global, major, unknown player... China.”






US and EU in parallel universes regarding security
(Politico-Europe)
“For decades, the Munich Security Conference served as a powerful symbol of the strength of the Western alliance. The 2020 installment offered a testament to its accelerating decline. If the three-day event, which drew to a close on Sunday, illustrated anything, it was that the divergence between the U.S. and the dominant European powers — Germany and France (the U.K. was MIA) — is greater than ever. Those who thought last year’s tense gathering represented a low point in the relationship left Munich this year chastened.”












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